NO GREY AREA

DAY 161 OF 365 IN 2021

Matthew 5:22 But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.

To put murder and anger on the same scale warranting the same measure of punishment does seem a step too far. Even as a suggestion from Jesus, it does seem off script- it seemed just too far-fetched. However, it does make sense because one of the precursors of murder could be anger. The story of Cain and Abel buttresses this proposition.

It is very easy to think then that some things are worse than others and this hierarchy is prevalent in all of society- some crimes merit tougher sentences than others, some soccer games and tournaments require playing with ones strongest team etc. However in matters of right and wrong, good and evil, Yes or no, there is no grey area, there is just either or.

Regardless, we have grown up with concepts such as lesser evil and greater good. Therefore, we use these hierarchical systems and man-made concepts of lesser and greater to our justify our actions, especially if they fall into the former category ‘bad’. Beloved, God is the Almighty, the most high, but God isn’t touted ‘the greatest good’, He is goodness and good.

Thus today we are called to order. We are called to simply have the clearest distinction that fundamentally, good is good and bad, bad.

#sly